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Mercury and human health: probabilistic risk characterization in one of the oldest gold mining areas in Ecuador
Mercurio y salud humana: caracterización probabilística del riesgo en una de las zonas mineras auríferas más antiguas del Ecuador
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15446/dyna.v90n227.107797Palabras clave:
hazard quotient; probabilistic risk; mercury pollution; gold mining (en)cociente de peligrosidad; riesgo probabilístico; contaminación por mercurio; minería del oro (es)
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Artisanal and small-scale gold mining is an important contributor to global human emissions of Hg. This study assesses the probabilistic human health risk for two receptors groups (residents and workers) of Portovelo mining area through exposure to Mercury (Hg) in the air at two sites: (a) the central urban area; and (b) El Pache sector. A preliminary risk assessment was performed using Hg concentrations from previous studies. The human health risk in the workplace scenario showed unacceptable levels of non-carcinogenic risk in rainy and dry seasons. Hazard Quotient (HQ) showed that 75% of the workers receptors were exposed to harmful effects on the nervous, digestive, respiratory, and immune systems. Regarding the residential scenario, no human health risk is presented. The study provides information on the levels of risk to the health of the inhabitants living in mining communities to improve public management strategies to minimize risks.
La minería del oro artesanal y a pequeña escala contribuye de forma importante a las emisiones globales de Hg. El presente estudio evalúa el riesgo probabilístico para la salud humana de dos grupos de receptores (residentes y trabajadores) de la zona minera de Portovelo por exposición al mercurio (Hg) en el aire en dos sectores: (a) la zona urbana central; y (b) el sector de El Pache. Se realizó una evaluación preliminar del riesgo utilizando concentraciones de Hg de estudios anteriores. El riesgo para la salud humana en los lugares de trabajo mostró niveles inaceptables de riesgo no cancerígeno en las estaciones lluviosa y seca. El cociente de peligrosidad (HQ) mostró que el 75% de los trabajadores receptores estaban expuestos a efectos nocivos en el sistema nervioso, digestivo, respiratorio e inmunitario. En el escenario residencial, no se presenta ningún riesgo para la salud humana. El estudio proporciona información sobre los niveles de riesgo para la salud de los habitantes de las comunidades mineras con la finalidad de mejorar las estrategias de gestión pública para minimizar los riesgos.
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1. Cristian Ortiz, Danny Granda, Alex Valdivieso, Aldo Salinas. (2025). Production, employment and large-scale mining in southern Ecuador: an incomplete productive linkage?. Mineral Economics, https://doi.org/10.1007/s13563-025-00560-4.
2. Amanda Vargas-Prieto, Javier García-Estévez, John Fredy Ariza. (2026). Gold mining and perinatal mortality: New evidence for Colombia. Environmental Pollution, 390, p.127451. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2025.127451.
3. Jenny Palomares-Bolaños, Karina Caballero-Gallardo, Jesus Olivero-Verbel. (2025). Hematological Parameters and Mercury Exposure in Children Living Along Gold-Mining-Impacted Rivers in the Mojana Region, Colombia. Biological Trace Element Research, 203(10), p.5041. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12011-025-04557-6.
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